The invention refers to a filling assembly for being mounted to a clipping machine for producing sausage-shaped products, like sausages. The filling assembly comprises a filling tube with a filling tube axis for filling paste-like, granular and/or liquid material, in a filling process, into a tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing. The packaging casing to be filled with the paste-like, granular and/or liquid filling material is arrangeable onto the filling tube and/or to encase the filling tube. The filling assembly further comprises a casing brake unit with a brake axis and a brake body for being detachably arranged on the filling tube in a braking position for providing a controlled resistance to the packaging casing against uncontrolled sliding-off the filling tube during the filling process. The brake body is relatively fixable to the filling tube in the braking position. The brake axis is coaxial with the filling tube axis when the brake body is arranged on the filling tube in the braking position. In addition, the filling assembly comprises a mounting unit for mounting the filling tube and the casing brake unit to the clipping machine.
In practice, it is known that during the manufacture of sausage-shaped products, like sausages, on a clipping machine, paste-like, granular and/or liquid material is fed from a filling tube with a filling pressure in a feeding direction into a tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing. The packaging casing is stored on the filling tube and closed at its front end, i.e. the end pointing in or downstream the feeding direction. During the filling process, the packaging casing is pulled-off the filling tube by the filling pressure. For preventing the tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing from uncontrolled sliding-off the filling tube, a casing brake unit with a brake body is provided wherein the brake body is detachably arranged on the filling tube. The brake body is configured for providing a frictional force to the packaging casing at least while the packaging casing is being pulled-off the filling tube. After a determined volume of filling material has been filled into the packaging casing, a displacer unit forms a plait-like portion to a back end of the filled packaging casing that is pointing against or upstream the feeding direction. Subsequently, the back end is being closed by a clipping unit by placing and closing at least one closure clip at the plait-like portion. Optionally, in a final step the sausage-shaped product that just has been closed is cut-off the packaging casing provided on the filling tube by a cutting unit.
The diameter of the sausage-shaped product to be produced defines the outer diameter of the filling tube and the inner diameter of the brake body, respectively. Therefore, in order to produce sausage-shaped products of different diameters, different filling tubes with corresponding outer diameters and brake bodies with corresponding inner diameters have to be used. Accordingly, for switching production to sausage-shaped products that have a diameter different from the previously produced sausage-shaped products, at least the previously used filling tube has to be replaced by a suitable filling tube having a compatible diameter to the sausage-shaped products to be produced. Furthermore, either the previously used brake body is not compatible with the suitable filling tube and has to be replaced by a suitable brake body or the previously used brake body has an adjustable inner diameter that can be fitted the selected filling tube, respectively.
Moreover, brake bodies are usually made of comparatively soft material, like rubber, and are subject to permanent friction with the packaging casing. Therefore, brake bodies generally suffer stronger wear-out than other components of the clipping machine, i.e. the filling tube, displacer unit or clipping unit. Worn-out brake bodies can lead to machine failure, i.e. by damaging the packaging casing or providing not enough friction to the packaging casing which will lead to an increased amount of packaging casing being pulled-off the filling tube per product produced. As a result, the clipping machine can be damaged, production has to be stopped and/or the product is faulty. Therefore, it is necessary to replace the brake body of a clipping machine after a certain usage, i.e. time of usage or length of processed packaging casing.
Beyond that, the packaging casing has to be replaced when the previous one has been consumed, since, in most of the cases, the packaging casing has already a tubular shape. Thus, the packaging casing has to be imposed on the filling tube from its delivery end, i.e. the end of the filling tube facing in the feeding direction of the filling material and having a filling outlet. Therefore, the operator needs an easy access to this filling tube end, wherein at least the brake body has to be removed from the filling tube. Preferably, the whole casing brake unit has to be removed for an improved accessibility of the filling tube, especially of its delivery end.
In known clipping machines, for removing the filling tube from the clipping machine and/or feeding packaging casing to the filling tube, the brake body has to be removed or disassembled from the filling tube first. After replacement of the filling tube and/or feeding packaging casing to the filling tube, the brake body has to be reassembled to the filling tube again. In some types of filling machines the displacer unit and/or the clipping unit are arranged so close to the brake body that they have to be moved aside first before the brake body can be removed or disassembled from the filling tube. Such replacement procedures are relatively complicated and time-consuming and will consequently cause unwanted production down-time.
In other types of known clipping machines, the brake body is provided at the clipping unit of the clipping machine, wherein the clipping unit is pivotally arranged at the clipping machine. Furthermore, the end of the filling tube that is opposite to the filling outlet is pivotally arranged at the clipping machine. Consequently, the filling tube and clipping unit can pivot relatively to the clipping machine around different pivot-axes. For replacing the filling tube and/or feeding packaging casing to the filling tube, the clipping unit with the brake body has to be pivoted, thus removing the brake body from the filling tube. Subsequently or simultaneously, the filling tube can be pivoted away from the clipping machine to a suitable position for replacing the filling tube and/or feeding packaging casing to the filling tube. This procedure is generally complicated and may cause damages to the brake body due to a tilt action with the filling tube.
In another type of known clipping machines, the clipping unit and a brake body holder are fixedly attached to the clipping machine. The filling tube is pivotally attached at the clipping machine. The brake body holder comprises a guide rail for holding the brake body on the filling tube when the filling tube is not pivoted away from the clipping machine. The guide rail of the brake body holder is usually shaped like a fork, comprising at least two teeth, wherein the brake body is interposed in between the two teeth when the brake holder is arranged on the filling tube and the filling tube is not pivoted away from the clipping machine. Consequently, the brake body holder is configured for releasing the brake body when the filling tube with the brake body still mounted, is pivoted away from the clipping machine. Once the filling tube is pivoted away from the clipping machine, the brake body can be removed from the filling tube along the filling tube axis. The whole process, especially the mounting process of the brake body onto the filling tube and the engaging process the brake body with the brake body holder while pivoting the filling tube back towards the clipping machine, is very cumbersome and time consuming.
Another solution for arranging a brake body at a clipping machine for being removably attached to a filling tube is known from DE utility model 20 2009 013 062. The brake body holder is attached to a wheeled crab that is guided on a rail. The rail is fixedly attached to the clipping machine. The filling tube is pivotally attached to the clipping machine as well. By pivoting the filling tube together with the brake body away from the clipping machine, the crap is forced along the rail, thereby pulling the brake body off the filling tube. By pivoting the filling tube back towards the clipping machine, the brake body is pushed back onto the filling tube by the guided crap, respectively. This system bears the disadvantage that forces are transmitted from the pivoting action of the filling tube via the brake body to the crab and back to the brake body for the pulling action and the pushing action, respectively, wherein the brake body is not restraint-guided along the filling tube axis. Consequently, the pivoting procedure can cause damages to the brake body. Furthermore, especially the process of pushing the brake body onto the filling tube is complicated and time consuming because brake body and filling tube usually have to be aligned manually.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a filling assembly for being mounted to a clipping machine that allows an easier and faster access to the filling tube for replacement of the filling tube and the brake body and/or for replacement of the packaging casing, thus reducing work load for the operator of the clipping machine and minimizing production down-time.